MP SPEAKS | Ismail Sabri Yaakob is the ninth prime minister of Malaysia, but he is the weakest prime minister in Malaysian history, completely lost about the Malacca state election - which will have far-reaching implications for Malaysia for many years to come.
Today is the nomination day for the Malacca election. It will see multiple contests – between the Pakatan Harapan and the government parties on the one hand, as well as between Perikatan Nasional and BN on the other.
Nobody can predict what is going to happen on polling day on Nov 20.
The country is searching for a new political equilibrium and equation after two important political developments:
(i) The toppling of the Umno-BN government in the 2018 general election; and
(ii) The Sheraton Move conspiracy in February 2021, which toppled a legitimate and democratically-elected Harapan government after 22 months when it was to serve for five years, ushering in a backdoor, undemocratic and illegitimate government in Malaysia for the first time in over six decades. We have now a Backdoor, Illegitimate and Undemocratic Government 2.0.
The 14th general election (GE14) destroyed the political hegemony of Umno, which had abused elections for decades, but the Sheraton Move conspiracy disrupted the political and democratic process and the country since then had been seeking a new, healthy and stable political equilibrium and equation that can fulfil the Malaysian Dream for Malaysia to become a world-class great nation.
Just as the 22-month Covid-19 pandemic is forcing a new norm in Malaysian social and economic life, the country is in search of a new norm in Malaysian politics after the GE14 and the Sheraton Move conspiracy.
Days for a single party to command majority are over
Now, we have a political situation where no single political party can exercise political hegemony in Malaysia – for the days when a single political party can command a simple majority in Parliament are over.
The day for meaningful coalition politics in Malaysia has come, and political parties must learn to co-operate with one another for the good of the nation – not for personal and political party self-aggrandisement but on the principles of justice, freedom, fair play, well-being for all Malaysians so that Malaysia can be a world-class great nation and avoid the traps of kleptocracy, kakistocracy and a failed state.
I was sent by the DAP to Malacca to spearhead the party's cause in 1969 and was MP for Bandar, and then Kota Melaka, for three terms – in 1969, 1974 and again in 1982.
In the Seventies and the Eighties, Malacca was the front-line state in Malaysia for the nation to become a world-class great nation, which could leverage on the virtues and values of the four great civilisations – Malay/Muslim, Chinese, Indian and Western – which meet in confluence in Malaysia.
Since then, the torch as the frontline state for Malaysia to be a world-class great nation has passed to other states – Penang, Perak, Selangor and Johor. Now the torch has come back to Malacca to light the way forward for Malaysia in this Malacca state election.
I do not agree with my friend Francis Paul Siah, who said that the general election in Malacca, the nations’ second-smallest state, is unimportant.
On the contrary, I believe that the Malacca and the Sarawak state elections will be important forerunners of the 15th general election to decide whether the Malaysian Dream for Malaysia to become a world-class great nation has come to an end and there is no way for Malaysia to become a successful plural society and a world-class great nation.
In fact, the outcome of the Malacca and Sarawak state elections may decide whether the Confidence-Supply-Reform (CSR) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Ismail Sabri and the four Harapan leaders on Sept 13 should be torn up and GE15 held early next year.
There have been many unforgettable episodes in my years as the MP for Bandar/Kota Melaka, and a leading one is the “Save Bukit China campaign”.
It was regarded as a lost cause, a no-hoper, for how could the Malacca state government be stopped when it had decided, in 1984, to demolish the 12,500 graves on the 360-year-old cemetery hill for commercial development?
But succeeded we did – after a long-drawn-out campaign which went national and embraced all racial and religious communities to preserve a historic heritage site – including a 35km walk from Pulau Sebang to Bukit China.
I call on the people of Malacca to summon the “Save Bukit China spirit” on polling day to Save Malaysia from becoming a kleptocracy, kakistocracy and a failed state, and instead to fulfil its potential to become a world-class great nation. - Mkini
LIM KIT SIANG is a DAP veteran and MP for Iskandar Puteri.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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